just got a 3D STD

[saturn]

so I'm keeping the stock engine in my 86 STD

 

problem lately is overheating. it overheats when sitting in traffic on the freeway. I checked the fluid... hoses and thermostat are OK.

 

but the fan never kicks on! I replaced the thermoswitch (the radiator fan switch -- the thing screwed into the passenger side of the radiator)... and that didn't seem to fix it either.

 

I also redid the ground wire going from the radiator to the body panel in the front.

 

is there a fuse or relay somewhere?

 

should I make a new thread?

 

also, my heat doesn't blow hot unless the car is EXTREMELY overheated... even cranked up to hot, the heater only blows "warm" at best.

 

clogged radiator maybe? (and the thermoswitch is in a "clog" and never gets hot?) or maybe low coolant? (I topped it off in the radiator... is there a different place? or do I top it off with the car running?)

Edited June 12, 2010 by saturn

[soobscript]

Nice find, Andrew!

This is ED from COS (subscript).

 

(you probably know this already, but)

you can wire up a switch and relay for the fan

if you can afford it, just but a new radiator, they're cheap

[edrach]

The standard model is a great little car. I bought a new STD in 1985 and it was my daily driver for a number of years. 'Bought it to save on gas since my workplace was 55 miles one way up the local interstate highway.

 

You might try checking the sections of the Repair Manual forum; you might find some useful information there.

 

Another place you might look is the Old Repair Manual. Here's some of the Weber info you might have wanted: http://www.indysworld.com/80s/general/USRM/subrepair.htm

 

How to Keep Your Subaru Alive. I know GD doesn't care for it, but it's a great beginner's manual for the early Subarus. Ignore the weird pictures (the author had a strange sense of humor). But it's a much better manual than either the Haynes or Chilton manuals.

 

NGK plugs. No actual data, but lots of anecdotal data to keep you away from any other sparkplugs. You'll find almost 100% agreement among those who do their own work that the NGK plugs are the most reliable and trouble-free plugs for the Subaru. Don't ask for trouble by installing those Champions. Install a set of NGKs and sell the Champions on craigslist.

 

EJ conversion. Nice thought but really too much overkill and expense. You can improve your STD by upgrading to a EA81 engine, adding a weber, and upgrading the rear brakes to disks. If you really want to improve it, a 5 speed dual/range transmission along with rear diff to make it a 4WD capable car. Not too difficult to do if you find a 4WD hatch at the local Pull a Part yard.

 

Best of luck with it and welcome to the group.

[saturn]

hey!

 

and yeah I've got the "how to keep your subaru alive" book... it is pretty helpful but not very specific to my model unfortunately

 

I put NGK plugs in (returned the champion plugs to o'reilly) -- the car had 3 champion and one bosch plug (wtf?)

 

there can't be much of an upgrade from a 1.6 to a 1.8... I figure if I'm going to do a swap I might as well swap in a EJ engine. it's been done before... I know it's a lot of work, but the end result would be pretty awesome. (turbo'd EJ18 w/ AWD and running gear from a legacy???)

 

for right now I'm just going to get it running alright and clean it up as much as possible... and daily drive it.

[84gl]

A Good Stock EA81 With spfi should get you around 95-100 hp right now you have 50-65hp depening on the wear or abuse on your engine. so it is Petty good up grade for the money ea81s are cheap right at the junk yards it bolts in and spfi is easy to wire up and is bomb proof just like the ea81 or 71 that in the car

[Yo'J]

Hey I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw another one pulling up the street yesterday! Red STD, young guy driving. Yours is way cleaner though! Crap I love the front grill!

 

Well, for the price the ea81 isn't that bad of a step up. Its a bomb proof motor especially if you get an 85 or later with the hydro lifters. (I'm wondering about yours though, is it a rarer ea71 motor? did they upgrade the lifters too?) I'd think you would get traction problems with a 2wd ej hatch.

 

Did you get the weber?

[saturn]

I've so far seen a red STD, a beige one, and a brown one. the last two having older folks driving. bizarro world!?

 

I want to upgrade it to AWD for traction issues (and because uhh ... why not?)

 

didn't get the weber - guy sold it!

 

but I'm going in friday to get mine tweaked for $150 so I can get a waiver for emissions... then down the road I'll consider a full swap.

 

ideally I think it'd be cool to put a turbo 1.8 in the car w/ AWD.

 

fixed my turn signal with one of the last 3 turn signals left...

 

 

now the other one looks really really dirty

[edrach]

Don't spend $150 tweaking your car to pass emissions. If you go to the emissions testing place on 6th Avenue South (industrial area in south Seattle) just south of Spokane St. you'll find a Van parked just south of the emissions testing lanes. He has a sign on the roof "Pass emissions or you don't pay". Last time I used him he was charging $45 plus tax. He has an emissions sniffer in the Van and is a state certified emissions specialist. He's gotten more of my beaters to pass emissions than I have fingers and toes. If he can't get it to pass, he can write you out a waiver form I believe. No point in spending $150 when less than $50 will do the trick. Good luck.

[saturn]

Don't spend $150 tweaking your car to pass emissions. If you go to the emissions testing place on 6th Avenue South (industrial area in south Seattle) just south of Spokane St. you'll find a Van parked just south of the emissions testing lanes. He has a sign on the roof "Pass emissions or you don't pay". Last time I used him he was charging $45 plus tax. He has an emissions sniffer in the Van and is a state certified emissions specialist. He's gotten more of my beaters to pass emissions than I have fingers and toes. If he can't get it to pass, he can write you out a waiver form I believe. No point in spending $150 when less than $50 will do the trick. Good luck.

 

what!??!

 

got better info on this? (phone number or something?) sounds totally sketchy but if it works I'm all for it.

 

I would rather not pay $150 if I'm just going to swap carbs or the entire engine...

Edited June 24, 2010 by saturn

[edrach]

what!??!

 

got better info on this? (phone number or something?) sounds totally sketchy but if it works I'm all for it.

 

I would rather not pay $150 if I'm just going to swap carbs or the entire engine...

PM sent with number. He's legit. A number of Seattle area USMB members besides myself have used him in the past. I just hope he's still there. With the new cars going to OBDII, his available work opportunity is going away slowly. You really have nothing to lose, since he doesn't charge if the car doesn't pass. And he's honest about it too; he can tell you up front if it will make it or not since his sniffer still works.

 

First time I went to him I had an old Mazda GLC (I know...hisss). Anyway I brought my Haynes manual since I noticed most of his business was American cars. I drove in, popped the hood and he had me start the car. And he listened to it for about 10 seconds and told me he couldn't fix it. Then he said "You have a bad vacuum advance. Go to Mazda and buy one for $40 and install it and bring it back and I'll adjust it so it passes." I asked him how he knew it was bad. "You can hear it has a hole in the diaphragm. Put your ear next to it; you can hear it go shh, shh, shh." I bought an advance mechanism, installed it, brought it back. He adjusted the timing, mixture, and sent me through. Car passed just fine. I paid my $40 and said thank you.

 

This was just the first of many beaters that he managed to get through emissions for me. Another member brought him an early EA81 which had two burned valves on one side. "Can't fix that for you until you get a valve job." He wrote up an estimate of repair for a valve job and told him to apply for a waiver so he could drive it around until he had it fixed. Most shops want you to spend the money to fix it first and then if it fails again, you can get a waiver. Actually, the law isn't written quite that way. You can get a waiver with an estimate of repair.

 

He's there most days except Mondays when he goes fishing. Since he works on Saturdays, he takes Sunday and Monday off for his weekend.

[saturn]

woah awesome.

 

yeah I noticed the law says estimate of $150 and the shops all say you have to pay for $150 in repairs.

 

thanks for the info!

[edrach]

woah awesome.

 

yeah I noticed the law says estimate of $150 and the shops all say you have to pay for $150 in repairs.

 

thanks for the info!

The shops say you have to pay $150 minimum to get a waiver if you still don't pass. Frankly, if I paid $150 to a shop they'd have to guarantee that I would pass. Anyway, I've never had to pay a shop anything as long as the emissions guru is still there. I stopped off there today (had to pick up some parts in the industrial area of south Seattle) and spoke with Warren. He's still there; he will be there next Monday since I asked him. I will post this in the USRM since I think it's useful information for Seattle area Subaru folk. (I'll drop you a PM with the information). He's changed his sign to prices start at $39.95. You can call him and see if the "guaranteed to pass or you don't pay" is still in effect.

[saturn]

I called him

 

he said $39.95 and he will do mix adjustments and nothing else -- no guarantee of passing.

 

which in my case probably won't get it to pass... I'm running at like 4x the legal limit of CO2... so I'm probably looking at spending at least $150 total to get the waiver.

[edrach]

I called him

 

he said $39.95 and he will do mix adjustments and nothing else -- no guarantee of passing.

 

which in my case probably won't get it to pass... I'm running at like 4x the legal limit of CO2... so I'm probably looking at spending at least $150 total to get the waiver.

What makes you think that you'll have to spend that much to get a waiver? So you're running 4X the limit on CO2; what makes you think a mixture adjustment won't get it to pass? Show him your inspection sheet and ask him what he thinks may be required to make it pass emissions. He'll give you a more reasonable answer than the guy who will require you to spend $150. Also, note that the $39.95 will go toward meeting the $150 minimum.

[saturn]

well he was saying he requires you spend $150 to get the waiver too

 

but if he can fix it for $40 then it's worth it. I'll check it out on monday morning.

[edrach]

Another thought. You've obviously registered the car already since you're driving it on the road. When does your registration come up for renewal? Since it's a 1986, if the renewal comes up late enough in the year you might not even have to pass emissions. Check out paragraph 15 of the RCW pertaining to vehicles exempt from emissions testing. Check your VIN# plate for the month and year of manufacture.

 

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=173-422-170

Edited June 25, 2010 by edrach

[danthecarman]

Yup I just got another subaru... 91 sedan..... for $250 but urz has the classic style. Good job.

[saturn]

nope, not registered yet. I can't register it until I can get it to pass emissions. been driving it insured with the bill of sale and title in hand.

[edrach]

nope, not registered yet. I can't register it until I can get it to pass emissions. been driving it insured with the bill of sale and title in hand.

Okay, that clarifies that point.

[saturn]

so I stopped to see that guy

 

he was really nice

 

showed me what I should check -- O2 sensor, and the two hoses going back to the exhaust with the weird dish shaped things on them... he said they should be gurgling and they're not, so they're probably clogged.

 

then he showed me how to break the pin in the carb to adjust it

 

said all of those combined should lean it out and get it to pass. didn't charge me for the advice.

[edrach]

so I stopped to see that guy

 

he was really nice

 

showed me what I should check -- O2 sensor, and the two hoses going back to the exhaust with the weird dish shaped things on them... he said they should be gurgling and they're not, so they're probably clogged.

 

then he showed me how to break the pin in the carb to adjust it

 

said all of those combined should lean it out and get it to pass. didn't charge me for the advice.

Weird dish shaped things. Most people eliminate them when they add a weber, but if you need to replace them (staying stock for a bit), they are called air suction valves (or ASV for short). They are pricey little devils if you can get them at all; something like $60 each. However, if you buy the newer versions for about $15 each, open them up and put the reed valves from the new ones into the old ASV housing, you can get them working for less than $30 or so. If I remember correctly, there's a write up on that in the USRM. That does explain the high HC reading at cruise, since the ASVs are supposed to recirculate the exhaust gases back through the carb and burn up the residual HC before it goes to the catalytic converter.

 

This is the best thread for the ASV info that I could find: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2569&highlight=Air+Suction+Valve

 

Even better link from the Old USRM: http://www.indysworld.com/80s/general/USRM/AirSuction/airsuctionvalve.htm

Edited June 29, 2010 by edrach

[saturn]

I figured they were something like that...

 

sucks they're so costly... bah. also, mine look different. more like UFOs, less like cylinders... they're also further back and not mounted in the little brackets that they SHOULD be mounted in (in fact, they don't fit)

 

replaced previously, perhaps?

 

 

I did manage to get an O2 sensor for $19 and replaced it in no time. also tightened up the exhaust headers which quieted things down significantly... now I hear valves ticking a bit. might try some seafoam and an oil change... and maybe clean all the oil off the bottom of the engine -- which means I'll probably have to replace the valve cover gaskets. luckily the HEAD gaskets aren't leaking at all.

 

replaced my radiator, water pump and thermostat. flushed out the engine with water... runs a LOT cooler now, and THE FAN NOW TURNS ON!

 

 

spraypainted the fan shroud gold after grinding off the rust... ran out of black spray paint.

 

found one of these parked a block away... CYCLOPS? I kind of want that center light...

 

 

speaking of found cars... found this by my girlfriend's house...

 

 

ended up gawking at it for a while, the owner came out and we talked about 360s (I used to own one)

 

annnnnddddd this is the next project - cheap racing seats to replace the totally dead factory seats. these actually sit about 1/2" lower! they still recline and they mount to the factory sliders just fine.

 

 

 

 

more to come. have some awesome plans.

[LeoneTurbo]

Very nice Hatch, I wish mine was in such a good shape. Take good care of it

[saturn]

so I went to the dealer to find some air suction valves (o'reilly and autozone had no idea what I was talking about)

 

guy at the dealership whipped out this huge old book, flipped to a page about air suction valves... at the top someone wrote in pen:

 

ORDER THIS PART: SPS377200

 

which is the same part# listed in the first link you posted.

 

if you look at up on subarugenuineparts.com, it's $12.18

 

https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html

 

so these are NOT a direct replacement? I have to take the parts out of them and put them in my old ones?

 

I'm kind of confused by the tutorial in the 2nd link you posted... seems like he says "take top from part A and then bottom from part B and do some magic and make a new one. so easy."

 

how is it hooked up? where do I get a silencer? etc etc

Edited June 29, 2010 by saturn

[Ever Victorious]

So that cyclops hatch is a block from your house, eh? I know right where you live then, I used to drive by that car oh, 4x a week for 3 years for work.

 

And that is one clean looking hatch you have.